May is Teen Self-Esteem Month and what a perfect time of year to celebrate the accomplishments of our young adults as they finish out the school year, graduate, prepare for college, find a summer job, etc. Never have teens faced more stress in their lives as they do right now, so it is important that we take a moment to recognize their efforts as well as celebrate their successes. Everyone enjoys hearing positive feedback, including our YA's, so please remember to take a moment and hug your teens! Although they may act as though receiving your attention is the last thing on their wish lists, know that the opposite probably holds true.

Take a look at our spring issue of BTW (By the Way...), the library's online young adult newsletter for current information about teen depression and suicide, including book suggestions (both fiction and nonfiction) as well as other key resources.

JDC

Recently, some of the Library staff gathered to discuss favorite authors and books read during the past year: note…books “read” and not “published” in. We were looking for the best reading experiences of the year gone by. Take a look at our choices. You’ll find some old favorites, but we hope you’ll discover some new ones as well.

Agree? Disagree? Write us back. We’d love to know what’s on your list!

Maeve Binchy
Maeve Binchy ~ Great story teller who creates a wonderful sense of place and lovable characters.

Jennifer Chiaverini
Do you enjoy stories about knitting? Then try Jennifer Chiaverini’s Elm Creek Quilt Series set in Pennsylvania. These gentle, entertaining stories can be considered historical fiction with a touch of mystery and lots of information about quilting and the world of women. There are eleven titles in the series and it is not necessary to read them in order.

Monica Ferris
Monica Ferris’ Needlecraft Mysteries are cozy novels set in Minnesota. Betsy Davenport owner of the Crewel Shop and sometime sleuth always manages to become involved in solving a murder case. Ferris offers solid information about needlecrafts, and her quirky characters add to the richness of these delightful tales.

Earlene Fowler
Benni Harper, ex cowgirl turned quilter is featured in Earlene Fowler’s award winning mystery series set in California. The thirty-four-year old widow is the curator of San Celina Folk Art Museum and often finds herself embroiled in mysterious events. These carefully plotted stories contain a bit of romance, some humor and each includes a quilt pattern. The reader will enjoy meeting Fowler’s lively characters in her Benni Harper Series.

Sister Chicks in Gondolas ~ Robin Jones Gunn
Stories that will appeal to women aged 30-50 age ~ Recently divorced Jenna receives an invitation to cater a mission retreat in Venice ~ Though not a great cook she asks sister-in-law Sue, who is a terrific one, to accompany her. The women are housed in a fifteenth century palazzo and soon begin to enjoy wonderful experiences that will last a lifetime. An inspirational story that intelligently explores the subtleties of women’s relationships.

The Glass Castle ~ Jeanette Walls
Though Walls’ story of parental neglect is not for the faint of heart, she renders her childhood experiences (at times funny and harrowing) and those of her three siblings with pathos, humor and not one shred of bitterness. Walls’ parents are irresponsible, brilliant, nonconformists whose eventual betrayals force their children to set out on their own in order to survive. Upon finishing this disturbing narrative, the reader is left feeling the author’s unconditional love for her family.

A Miracle for St. Cecilia’s ~ Katherine Valentine
If you are looking for gentle series similar to Jan Karon or Philip Gulley’s books, be sure to try Valentine’s Dorsetville Series set in New England. The town has endured serious economic losses with the closure of its woolen mills; this does not seem to bother Dorsetville’s inhabitants for they are rich in faith and compassion.
Warm-hearted, funny, inspirational stories that are treat to read.

Garden Spells ~ Sarah Addison Allen
Read this wonderful, enchanting story and fall in love all over again! Claire is a successful caterer and somewhat eccentric among the town folk of Bascomb, North Carolina. A member of the Waverly clan, it is believed that she possesses certain magical gifts. Claire’s quiet, predictable life is suddenly disrupted by two events: her new next-door neighbor and the return of her long-lost sister Sydney. The reader will enjoy unusual, interesting characters and savor the wonderful sense of place that Addison’s writing evokes.

Life as We Knew It ~ Susan Beth Pfeffer
In this thoroughly absorbing tale, young Miranda and her family struggle to survive a natural disaster when a giant asteroid collides into the moon. Though her family is better off than most (due to her mother’s foresightedness), their situation becomes critical as new disasters arise. The story is revealed thorough journal entries and though it is lengthy, it will hold your attention to the end. Life for Miranda has drastically altered and she is forced to evaluate and treasure what is truly important.

The Zookeeper’s Wife: A War Story ~ Diane Ackerman
940.5318 ACK
Using the diary of Antonian Zabinski and other historical sources, Diane Ackerman explores the world of the "zookeeper's wife" who sheltered and saved over three hundred people from the Warsaw ghetto during World War II ~ Ackerman is a scientist, and her recognition of the beauty and savagery of nature set in juxtaposition to the horrors of Hitler's regime is powerfully revealed.

Mary

In all the hubbub and excitement surrounding Income Tax Day, it was easy to overlook the fact that this week also marks the 50th anniversary of National Library Week (April 13 thru 19). The "Read@SCPL" Blog would be remiss if we didn't acknowledge this milestone, which honors the "contributions of our nation's libraries, librarians, and library workers." Given the fact that our blog is written by librarians at a library, however, this all sounds like so much patting of one's own back.

So, to lighten the mood, "Read@SCPL" would like to offer some little-known facts about the art and science of reading, libraries, and all things literary. (After all, this is the kind of stuff people come to libraries for.)

Did you know...
...that the first books were written on clay tablets? (And you thought there were shelving problems now!)
...that Mark Twain was the first author to submit a novel to a publisher in typewritten form? (presumably, he ran out of clay tablets.)
...the first public library in the United States was established in 1833 in Peterborough, New Hampshire?
...the oldest lending library in the United States is the Redwood Library and Atheneum, established in 1750, in Providence, Rhode Island?

And, with apologies to David Letterman, here are the Top Ten Libraries in the US, based on the number of books:
1) Library of Congress
2) Harvard University Library
3) New York Public Library
4) Yale University Library
5) Queens Borough (New York City) Public Library
6) University of Illinois Library - Champaign/Urbana
7) University of California - Berkeley
8) The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County
9) Chicago Public Library
10) Free Library of Pennsylvania

CH 4/17/08

I'm always amazed at people's creativity and here's something completely different - a whole new way to look at the alphabet! Enjoy the online version by clicking on the "play" button in the middle of the screen below - perhaps a gift idea for the book lover in your life?

marlise